Entrust your apartment to several agencies often seems reassuring. The more intermediaries there are, the greater the chances of sell quickly appear high. However, this logic can produce the opposite effect: slow down the sale, weaken negotiation and do lose value to good.
“ A property that is too visible can give the impression that it will not sell. explain Hugo Ferrereal estate agent specializing in high-end properties and managing the Hugo Ferré agency. When an apartment appears on several portals via four or five agencies, the buyer ends up asking questions. Why is it still available? Is the price too high? In real estate jargon, the property is then “roasted”.
When the exclusive mandate better protects the sale
Legally, the simple mandate allows you to entrust your property to several agencies, or even to sell alone. THE exclusive mandatefor its part, reserves marketing for a single agency for a defined period.
In fact, “90% of agencies prefer to work exclusively”underlines Hugo Ferre. The objective is not only commercial: exclusivity makes it possible to build a real sales strategy, with a better selection of buyers, a coherent message on price and more rigorous monitoring.
This also avoids competition between agencies. “At first it may seem exciting, but in the end everyone is fighting for the same apartment”he summarizes. Negotiations become more aggressive and the seller loses control of his price.
Some agencies even refuse to take a property without exclusivity. A practice that the agent qualifies. He says he met a client who wanted to entrust him with his apartment, but who was already committed elsewhere. “He would have liked to work with us, but he was blocked by his exclusive mandate”he explains.
“Our role is not only to sell an apartment, it is also to satisfy the customer in the approach, to reassure them and to support them”recalls the real estate professional. The challenge is to find the right balance between seller protection and commercial efficiency.
The simple mandate sometimes remains relevant
THE simple mandate is not necessarily an error. It can be relevant in the event of separation, disagreement between sellers or when an owner hesitates between two agencies.
Even with two agencies, everything can go well if the strategy is mastered. Hugo Ferré talks about inter-cabinet collaborations: “The idea is not to put the ad everywhere willy-nilly, but to work intelligently. » In a recent case, he had divided the distribution portals with another agency to prevent a property from appearing on too many platforms and losing credibility.
The simple mandate can also encourage competition between buyers. But this dynamic also exists exclusively: several interested buyers in the same agency can be enough to raise the bids. There is therefore no absolute good or bad strategy.
There are also forms of “moral exclusivity”: the mandate remains simple, but the seller verbally undertakes to work mainly with a single agency. This formula avoids overly rigid clauses while maintaining a real relationship of trust.
Multiplying agencies does not automatically mean more visits or faster sales. It all depends above all on the property, the price displayed and the way in which marketing is managed.
Pitfalls to check before signing
The main pitfall often remains the length of commitment. Some contracts require two or three firm months with complex exit conditions. Hugo Ferré advises, on the contrary, to start shorter. “Two weeks, a month or a month and a half already allows us to see if the work is serious, and sometimes an offer can already arrive during this marketing time”he explains.
The fees must also be looked at upon signing. Some agencies adapt their commission: “For example 5% exclusive versus 4% simple”. But this difference must above all be analyzed according to the support offered, the sales strategy and the real involvement of the agent.
In reality, the choice between simple mandate And exclusive mandate rests above all on the trust placed in the real estate agent and his ability to really defend the property on the market.
